Fuel for you KTM haters.

[woodsguy]

"This is my last chance to get this bike figured out before I’ll have to look at buying another new one that I cannot afford.

This thing only has 45 hours on it. It had 9 hours on it when the problems arose. It’s been into multiple shops throughout my travels and remains un-diagnosed. If you guys saw my earlier post in July about the problems I was having, you know that the tray that the ccps and aps sit in is allowing water past and into the sensors. Obviously that’s a huge problem but that isn’t all. There’s more to this. Husqvarna Motorcycles has decided that there is nothing wrong with the bike and that they’re washing their hands of it. They’ve decided that no more warranty work will be done on it. Basically, it’s my problem now. Although it’s been my problem the whole time. It’s been adding a major layer of stress to everything I’m trying to do. The bike has failed me multiple time while I’m out with students. I can’t rely on it.

So I drove 1200 miles out of my way to get this thing to someone I trust and believe can help me get to the bottom of this problem. @chuck_hardr (the owner of True Tech Motorcycle Specialist) has been putting in countless hours gathering data involving these TPI bikes and the issues they’re having. He knows more about these bikes and their problems than anyone else I know. He has already discovered something that everyone else has missed and we still have lots more things to check. Hopefully I can come out of this with a properly running and reliable motorcycle .

It makes me sick to my stomach knowing I’m sinking thousands of dollars into a brand new motorcycle that is riddled with defects and issues from the factory. It’s sad that these huge companies like KTM are getting away with passing the buck onto the customer when they should be remedying their mistakes themselves. The money this is costing me after paying them for a product that doesn’t work is absolutely brutal! But the stress it’s been putting on me and my business is even worse. It would be nothing to them to remedy the situation but it would have meant everything to me (and the thousands of others going through the same thing). Shame on them."

 

[woodsguy]

This is Meg Griffifs bike. She's an excellent rider, social media player, and instructor. Really sad about her bike. Who knows if it's a lemon or rider induced. She's hard on equipment.

 

[woodsguy]

"My experience with TPI bikes has been nothing short of miserable since I made the switch. It’s been a slew of bad crank case pressure sensors and an array of other issues. I just spend my whole evening tearing apart my bike to replace the ccps once again because it went bad mid ride (not a ride for fun, a group ride/event with customers).

It was a rain ride today. Each time the sensor has gone bad, it’s been while I’ve been riding in the rain.

The reason replacing the sensor is such an ordeal for me being on the road and in the dirt, is because it is VITAL that the new sensor doesn’t get installed into a wet or muddy tray. Of course my bike is covered in mud and water. So here I am trying to hose my bike down in the camp ground and then towelling it off with paper towel in preparation for the sensor swap.

As soon as I pulled the sensor, I saw that it was completely soaked (photo 2), which means it is indeed ruined. The tray was also full of water and mud (photo 3). Then I swabbed the hole that the sensor sits in with a Q-Tip (photo 4) and sure enough, the hole was full of mud and water. This is SUCH A POOR DESIGN and it kills me that my brand new bikes are constantly letting me down like this. You’d think if you put in the money to purchase a new tool for your business, that it would work.

Now because my new machine simply doesn’t work, I’m exhausted on evening 1 of 4 days straight of teaching/guiding. It’s completely ridiculous considering I’ve done everything on my end to make sure things like this aren’t happening. It’s exhausting and frustrating to no end.

Now my solution is probably crap, but it’s all I can think to do right now. Silicone on the o-ring that is supposed to seal the sensor in the tray. And I guess I’ll start covering the tray in duct tape to reduce the amount of water and debris that ends up in it. Sad that this is what it’s like having a new bike.

I’m making this post because this exact thing has been going on in the background for MONTHS for me now and I’m tired of keeping quiet about it. It’s happening over and over again with multiple brand new bikes. Many others are having these problems as well."

 

[woodsguy]

Megan Griffiths (@megs_braap) • Instagram photos and videos

instagram.com

 

[TexasTed]

Woodsguy, which new offroad bikes would you recommend for both reliability and performance? I'm getting to the point where I just want to ride without doing a whole lot of repairs other than change oil and air filters.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

Woodsguy, which new offroad bikes would you recommend for both reliability and performance? I'm getting to the point where I just want to ride without doing a whole lot of repairs other than change oil and air filters.

You didn't ask me but I don't mind replying LOL

JAPANESE all the way baby!

 

[SpiritAtBay]

This is Meg Griffifs bike. She's an excellent rider, social media player, and instructor. Really sad about her bike. Who knows if it's a lemon or rider induced. She's hard on equipment.

She's hard on equipment? Any harder than a 160-200lb guy would be? I'm not a Megs expert, just watched a few of her videos.

 

[Irishcoffee]

KTM is having a real issue with rear wheel bearings in the '23 bikes.. MXA states several of their test bikes are affected.

 

[TexasTed]

You didn't ask me but I don't mind replying LOL

JAPANESE all the way baby!

Spirit At Bay thanks for the input. I was looking for make and model specific. I figured Woodsguy has ridden or owned quite a variety of bikes so his opinion might be a little more unbiased than most riders.

 

[woodsguy]

Spirit At Bay thanks for the input. I was looking for make and model specific. I figured Woodsguy has ridden or owned quite a variety of bikes so his opinion might be a little more unbiased than most riders.

I'm on my 4th Honda 450 with no complaints. That said I think the bike is a Yamaha FX250. Yamaha realibity is 2nd to none. The bike is a little ripper. Yamaha suspension is tops. Glenn has one. Some of the components aren't as high-end as KTM but good enough. Now if you're wanting to dualsport it I'd go some kind of 500cc from Austria.

 

[woodsguy]

She's hard on equipment? Any harder than a 160-200lb guy would be? I'm not a Megs expert, just watched a few of her videos.

She loves the extreme riding, especially log hopping. In practicing she going to beat the crap out of a bike. And the stuff she likes might cause the bike to stay a little hotter running as it might not get as much air flow. As for as a guy goes, she puts most of us to shame.

 

[William Wolfen]

While running any bike really hard at low speed is going to cause more issues more frequently than gentler service, the repeated sensor/electrical failures are right up KTM's alley. The 690s I've seen have been plagued with electrical issues. I've also seen plenty of suggestions to go through all the wiring to waterproof it as KTM, at least historically, didn't bother with waterproof connectors. Still, it's hard to argue against their off-road bikes for being top notch performance wise and easy to service. I think long term it's more a matter of how much servicing and parts replacement you're willing to put up with.

 

[Tigerkf]

I did the KTM experiment with a 790 of my own! I'm done with that chapter and moved on! The only orange in my garage in the future will be a Gojo bottle!

 

[DFW_Warrior]

Woodsguy, which new offroad bikes would you recommend for both reliability and performance? I'm getting to the point where I just want to ride without doing a whole lot of repairs other than change oil and air filters.

I'm on my 4th Honda 450 with no complaints. That said I think the bike is a Yamaha FX250. Yamaha realibity is 2nd to none. The bike is a little ripper. Yamaha suspension is tops. Glenn has one. Some of the components aren't as high-end as KTM but good enough. Now if you're wanting to dualsport it I'd go some kind of 500cc from Austria.

Or just do what I did and don’t buy new. I found a 2017 pre-TPI KTM 300 and love it. E-Start, still has a kick start on it, carb’d, and still modern suspension.

After having e-start on my 2-stroke, I don’t think I’d want to ever give that up and that is one big reason the Yamaha didn’t make the cut.

All that being said, I still stand by my words of never owning a KTM 4-stroke or a TPI 2-stroke. The good news for those that want to try them out is that there are a ton of people always selling them after not really using them all too much.

 

[woodsguy]

After having e-start on my 2-stroke, I don’t think I’d want to ever give that up and that is one big reason the Yamaha didn’t make the cut.

The bike I referenced is a 250 4 stroke that definitely has e-start.

 

[DFW_Warrior]

The bike I referenced is a 250 4 stroke that definitely has e-start.

My bad, in my mind I was thinking about the yz250x not the FX. Personally, I think I’m done with four strokes as a whole but that might just be me.

If I was buying new right now, I’d be looking at the Sherco 2-stokes as they (I think) are still carb’d.

 

[woodsguy]

Shercos are. They are still a boutique brand, I had one, really liked it. Electrics got me a couple of times but got it sorted. I'd buy another. The 2T/4T debate! I like both, but overall the traits I like come in a 4T package. If I was doing more technical riding the 2T might be better. But ALL my riding is either Cycleland or SHNF. The 450 works well at either venue, although Cycleland would be more enjoyable on a 250.

 

[btrider]

I will say that I don't miss the points and condenser days. My bikes are all old and have carbs but they rarely fail. The newer technology is truly amazing but it has a price. I rode what would be considered a boat anchor today an 99 XR 600. It went probably thousands of miles, many hare scrambles, many trips to Colorado, almost every AMSA ride day and all of the leases over the years. I think I pulled the carb apart to jet it when I put a pipe on when I bought it. The thing never broke down at all ever. My WR450 is old and carbed, it's also proving to be dependable and since I'm old I sure love the magic button.

 

[RollingJ]

My 2006 KTM 450 XC is solid, but it's an RFS motor and carbed.

 

[sandman]

We have all been so spoiled by Japanese quality…. Anything else seems foreign. Bottom line we are fortunate - spoiled - lucky to have such reliable bikes from the Japanese manufacturing companies.

I have owned KTM’s …. None right now

 

[budzrex]

Right now my next bike purchase will probably be a Beta 300 Race Edition great motor, KYB suspension and I have a close dealer who is a
friend. Have a friend with one and have ridden in a few times and can say I really like it.

 

[William Wolfen]

I really enjoyed the Beta 390RRS I test rode a bit last fall. Awesome bike, though it could've used a little wider steering lock. I'd enjoy riding one more often, but I'm not sure how it'd be actually living with one. I don't mind doing routine maintenance, but major parts replacement in a recurring basis isn't acceptable to me after having so many Japanese cars and bikes.

As for off-road bike size, smaller is generally better. I test rode the 480 and 500 Betas (same bike, really) and found the 390 far easier to handle on right trails. The 390 still had plenty of go for the MX track section too, though the bigger engine was faster. I'll definitely be looking for something smaller than a 450 for a dirt bike if I ever end up in the market.

 

[woodsguy]

Hey guys and gals! For anyone who didn’t see my reel last night, here’s the update!

It’s been a long few days of wrenching and testing with Chuck Harder from True Tech Motorcycle Specialist . We had the motor completely out of the bike and tore down the top and bottom end. Then yesterday was mostly spent testing after getting the bike all back together. Testing can be super frustrating and sometimes I can feel it getting in my head. Especially when it’s been months of issues and being so in tune with changes and things not feeling right. I’m very sensitive to small changes in how my bike is running which allows us to gather great info as we make changes and work towards understanding the problems. We ended up with lots of data that we think is pointing us in the right direction. We are going to go live this afternoon on INSTAGRAM at 3:00 pm pacific time to fill you guys in on all the work we’ve done and what we’ve found so far. I’ll also post up a video on Facebook with the findings and explanations this evening!

 

[SpiritAtBay]

Hope you'll relay what happens, Rob, for those of us who don't 'gram or FB. Thnx

 

[Cagiva 549]

ive been riding my 2011 Beta 450rr for 9 years now , two failures . A crankcase vent hose cracked and leaked oil on the top of the motor , I saw it when I stopped to open a gate and cut off a carb drain hose and replaced it on the spot . Replaced it with a hose that will last longer then me when I got home . And crank position sensor failed last year . I was disappointed in Beta that they couldn’t give me ohm values to check components . The importer service department told me to try a good one but wouldn’t provide it to me . I do have values in my service book now . Performance wise , it’s still the best I’ve ever been on . My 950 had a couple problems built into it but it’s still no comparison performance wise to anything red yellow green or blue . And as far as bearing failures I bet you a buck if you look at one it’s a chinese bearing , that’s a fail before you ever start . Some bean counter specked them from the supplier and it’s biting them in the *** now . As it should .